Improve Memory, Biohack Your Brain & What Brain Imaging Really Shows with Dr. Kristen Willeumier

Hello, dearest listeners, and welcome to the Longevity and Lifestyle Podcast, where I invite pioneers and thought leaders in all things longevity and lifestyle to give us the strategies, tools, and practices to live better and help us reach our true potential. Today's guest is Dr. Kristen Willamer, a neuroscientist with research expertise in neurobiology and neuroimaging and author of a very insightful book, Biohack Your Brain: How to Boost Cognitive Health, Performance, and Power. Dr. Willamer conducted her graduate research in the Laboratory of Neurophysiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA, and the Laboratory of Neurogenetics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She received MS degrees in physiological science and neurobiology and a PhD degree in neurobiology from the University of California, Los Angeles. She was a postdoctoral scientist in the Department of Neurology at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she continued her work in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. She was the recipient of a National Research Service Award Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health and has presented her work internationally. Having served as the Director of Neuroimaging Research for the Amen Clinics, she led the efforts in utilizing imaging technologies to understand the neurobiological correlates underlying psychiatric disorders. In this capacity, she oversaw many pioneering studies, including a clinical research trial investigating the long-term effects of repetitive subconcussive impacts in National Football League, or NFL, players, and developed a protocol to successfully reverse brain damage and improve cognitive health. Dr. Willemer is widely published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Translational Psychiatry, and the Journal of Neuroscience. Before we begin, please hit subscribe to the podcast to get your weekly dose of longevity and lifestyle inspiration. I would also love to hear from you, dear listeners, so please leave a review or comment to let me know what you think on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, or on Instagram @longevityandlifestyle. That's @longevityandlifestyle. A-N-D, lifestyle, L-I-F-E-S-T-Y-L-E.

Please.

I'd love to do some rapid-fire questions and then jump into your book and some of your amazing tips and hacks for us all.

Okay.

You talked about your morning routine briefly, but you know, how do you set yourself up to start your day with the most success possible, but also your evening routine? You were saying that you dim the lights, you know, what are your favorite strategies to really get a perfect flow into your morning and evening? You got it.

You got it. I have rituals. So I wake up in the morning, always spend a little snuggle time with the dog. I feel the first 5 to 20 minutes, you're coming out of this beautiful, quiet space of sleep. Your mind is open and receptive. It's the way you start your day. So I start my day with love, right? I tell my husband I love him. I tell my dog I love him. I spend at least 5 or 10 minutes petting my dog. And remember, those things boost oxytocin. They help you to feel better. So, you know, let's not underestimate telling somebody you love them, just reminding my husband and my dog. And if you don't have that person in your life, get on your phone. So we talk about practicing gratitude a lot, especially in the field of psychiatry. And really that's about having a positive mindset. So text somebody in the morning and just tell them how grateful you are to have them in your life. It could literally It can really be that simple. And I'll tell people, go through your whole phone book. And each morning you just go down the alphabet and people will be so shocked. Might be somebody that I haven't talked to in like 3 years. Oh my God, it's Kristen. And you send something like that. So I start my morning off always in that sort of positive, happy space, the loving space. I drink a hyper-oxygenated water that's alkaline in glass bottles.

It is.

A premium. You know, yes, I'm one of those people who just loves water and appreciates the value of it. After an 8-hour sleep where your body is in a more dehydrated state, I do 2 glasses of water, of this particular water. So have a filtered water if you don't, you know, get the fancy water. One glass is plain, another glass usually has a squeeze of lemon in it. So we have fresh lemon. We have a lemon tree in Palm Springs. So always 2 glasses of water to start. And then I do my green juice, which is— yes, it's always celery, parsley. I love Bosc pears. And then if I have anything else green, it's spinach or parsley. So it's pretty much greens. And then I'll put 1 fruit in it, either a pear or an apple. So that's 16 ounces. So now I've had 32 ounces of fluid. I walk the dog, then I go usually an hour run. So every single day I start my day with exercise. Before the pandemic, I was also doing Pilates and getting into the weight room for training. So every single day, always an hour, I always do it in the morning. And back when I worked in a clinic, even when I worked for a surgeon and I had to be in the OR at like 6 o'clock in the morning, then I just get up at 4. So anything that I do, I just shift it. Depending on what my job is, but it's always the hydration. And I've been doing green juices for 20 years. If people think I'm nuts, but I learned a long time ago, the alkalizing effect of green vegetables is so important for cellular health. I know you were talking to Dale Bredesen. He does a lot of cell culture work. When you're growing neurons in culture and you need to keep them growing and healthy and surviving and making connections with their neighbors, when the environment got very acidic, they would shrivel up and the cell bodies would explode. So I learned very quickly and I would put an alkaline media in there. You know, I was like, oh, this is a pH alkaline media with a lot of nutrients. And then my neurons would look gorgeous. So I was sort of trained intuitively and trained in the laboratory setting to just see how essential clearing out, you know, the metabolic waste and the acidic waste and putting something alkaline in. So I feel that's really been an inspiration in terms of why I do the green juicing every day. And also I will throw a beet in there. I forgot. So I love beets. Great for heart health. Great for cardiovascular, great for blood thinning. So a beet will get thrown in there as well.

Sounds like a superfood smoothie you're having in the morning.

Really?

Wow.

Yes. So then we get the workout in. Then from the meditation standpoint, I will either take 5 to 10 minutes to meditate in the morning, or I'll do it in the evening, or I'll have a meditation CD. So I've got one that I love called The Moses Code by James Twyman and Wayne Dyer.

That is great.

Yeah. Oh, the sounds. They have two 20-minute tracks and the sounds are extraordinary. So yeah, you're going to love it. Moses Code. So if you don't want to sit down and take the 10 to 20 minutes to just sort of go into a practice, I will pop that on and listen to it. And sometimes I'll be moving around, but it's the sounds that shift you into a different brainwave state. Those are pretty much it. The other morning ritual that I have— so I'm a big fan of lists. I think lists are really important. So every morning I create my list and I teach this in the clinic to people who have ADD, you know, how to help support your focus. It's make your list. Cross the things off as you do them during the day. So really those are the important things. And breakfast is my juices. Like, I typically don't have my first meal, like a salad, until 11 or 12 o'clock. So I'm kind of one of those people who does the 12-hour minimum fast because it's easy.

Yes. And, and you have your green smoothie as well, so you're giving your body all these nutrients and the—

yeah, hydration. I think for me, the really important thing in the morning is hydration. If I'm going to do a very rigorous workout, I have a specific little smoothie that I will do. It's oat milk, the hyperoxygenated water, a banana, cacao powder. So I'll do a teaspoon of cacao powder. I do a teaspoon of performance mushrooms. So it's got chaga, lion's mane, reishi. And then I'll do a little bit of the nut butter. So if I feel like I want to, you know, boost my energy and it's not a lot, cause I'm very mindful about sugar and how much sugar I take in. So that little smoothie is probably a half a cup. It's not a lot because the oat milk has sugar, but if you're going to be doing a rigorous exercise, that's what I'll do. So that's my typical morning ritual.

Amazing. It sounds like that you can only have such a successful day after starting that way. Sounds really amazing. Do you have a favorite quote or piece of advice that was a real game changer for you?

A favorite quote? Oh my gosh, let me think. Man plans, God laughs. I think that's probably— you know, it's funny, there's always these great, like, Aristotle or Marcus Aurelius quotes, but for some reason, this one seems like the most relevant to my life. And I will say, you know, for me, I live life as a sense of adventure. Like, well, I'm very focused in what I do. Clearly you can't be a neuroscientist without having an extraordinary sense of focus. I am also a soul who is a humanitarian and a lover of the world and of life and of cultures and people. And I kind of love living the adventure of life. Yes, I have this amazing job that I do and I help people restore and revitalize their brain function, but I'm also just loving being, you know, a human at this time in life, right? This really extraordinary time on our planet where we've seen these technological advances and breakthroughs that are happening. You know, at a rapid pace. So live the adventure.

Yeah. So exciting. Let's move to your book and Biohack Your Brain. Such an incredible book. What was your inspiration to actually write it?

Thank you for bringing up the book. So really the inspiration to write it was working with the professional athletes. And I was so blown away by the amount of improvement that we could make in brain function for these players. And I knew I knew it was something that needed to be put out into the world. I think not just for the players, but it was really for the moms and the dads and, you know, parents who have kids that are playing these collision-based sports. And then the next layer was for anybody who's struggling with degenerative diseases in their families. I, of course, my life has been touched with that with my father at Parkinson's, but the fact that we can slow brain aging and potentially reverse brain aging is such a— I want people to know what I've seen, and what I've seen is possible in a clinical setting using brain imaging. I was and still am so inspired by what I've seen. And I know, I think reading the book will get people more excited and more empowered about taking those steps. To take care of their brain. I know as people age, my godfather's 70, you know, I've got, you know, both of my parents have passed, but as I watch people who are aging and slowing down and thinking it's too late, this is what it is. I don't want people to feel that because I have seen what is possible in the clinic. We have had people come in who are in their 80s and 90s, and we've still been able to increase perfusion to their brain and restore healthier electrical activity. I understand there are certain limitations. There are certain things that we cannot change. I could not reverse my father's Parkinson's, but I could help him have a better quality of life, happier days, right? More sort of more mentally balanced days, more cognitively sharp days. And I think that's what's important as we age. I don't want people to fear, you know, losing their cognitive capacity. And that was, sort of the other big inspired piece. And letting people know very small changes. Even if you just did one thing of probably the 100 things that are in that book, if you drink your daily water quotient every day, consistently over the course of decades, that makes a difference. All of these little changes practice. So the more that you add on, I mean, I know you already have a lot of great brain health habits, which is why you're not going to have to always get better. You can't. Well, hey, I've been in this field for 20 years and I'm still optimizing. I wasn't drinking this kind of water 10 years ago. Right. It's like you study everything and we study and we learn and we change and we optimize. Hey, who was taking vitamin D? You know, 10 years ago we weren't talking about people having low levels of vitamin D.

And then otherwise, yeah.

In my field, low levels of vitamin D are correlated with depression and Alzheimer's disease. So every single person that walked through our door who had low levels of vitamin D, and that's probably 90% of our patients, take it. Then we get this. So then we have COVID, and all of a sudden people are now appreciating the immune-enhancing effects of vitamin D, and it's pretty much staple. And I think that's wonderful. So look at how Same thing with omega-3 fatty acids or curcumin. You know, people take curcumin in India and they have the lowest incidence of Alzheimer's. You know, now we know curcumin is anti-inflammatory in the brain as well as in the body. We know curcumin binds beta amyloid and helps to clear those, you know, misfolded proteins. So like someone in your position, because you have the APOE4 allele, you've already got ways to help support your brain health just based on this new research that's coming out. It's pretty extraordinary.

It's so exciting. And I think that that's part of my mission, that people realize that it's not, oh, I don't want to know this diagnosis because there's nothing I can do about it. Actually, you can. And it's about preventative, right? So like, let's get it early and not wait till you've been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. As Dale was saying, you know, it's a 20-year disease. Get it early and you're not going to get it. It's preventable.

It's like once you've diagnosed Alzheimer's, you know, it's very hard to reverse the course. We need to start in the early stages like Dale was saying. And you see, for us with neuroimaging, we can see the dangers, especially with the SPECT imaging. We see low perfusion in the parietal lobes, and we know this person is heading towards a dementia diagnosis. They may be perfectly fine and even score fairly well on their cognitive assessments, but we see it coming. So if we can make the changes 10 to 20 years earlier, you slow that progression and potentially reverse it depending on— you might be doing a habit that's actually accelerating brain aging and you don't know it.

So would you recommend everyone just, you know, if possible, have a brain scan? Would every scientist be trained to read it like you would?

You know, here's the thing, and I realize I come from a very unique background. The brain SPECT imaging and QEEG, you know, I just worked in a very unique environment where we did it. As you will say, Dale would say, you know, most people won't get brain imaging ever in their life unless they have mild cognitive impairment, dementia. So they'll have a beta amyloid PET scan or a tau scan, or for Parkinson's, you might have a, there's a particular scan called a DAT scan. But again, we're looking at your brain late in the disease. I was fortunate that we were scanning people's brains really to help them with their psychiatric issues. That was one of the pieces. So we could target treatment based on their symptoms and the way their brain was wired. And that's so important because psychiatric medications have a lot of side effects. And so patients would come to our clinics, they really wanted to see. But the other piece is we could see what else was going on in the brain. We could see what the perfusion deficits were from. Maybe they had chemotherapy or maybe they had inflammation or maybe they've been exposed to toxic substances and didn't know it, right? As a firefighter, or they work in a paint and body shop and exposure to paint fumes or mold, toxic mold in the house, right?

Yeah.

Toxic mold. I really want to acknowledge that I work in a very unique environment. So if somebody asks me, should I get my brain imaged? I would say, if you are struggling with, with a psychiatric issue and you haven't had it treated successfully, that would be a reason to have a SPECT scan. If you've had any kind of concussive injuries, I would get a brain scan. I think it's really helpful for treatment, even if you get one. Or getting the EEG. I mean, the quantitative EEG is really the easiest way to take a look at what's going on in your brain from a brainwave perspective. Most neurologists won't do those things. It's something you would have to seek out, but something everybody can do, and I think this is really important, is baseline cognitive testing, probably starting at the age of 40, just like you go get your annual labs done. Just have a baseline cognitive assessment. You do it every year and you can track how your general cognitive function proficiency is over time, how your reasoning, your memory, your attention, you know, your information processing speed. And if from year to year you, you know, are stable, that's perfect. If you all of a sudden have a sudden decrement, then you can go and get the neuroimaging done. So I think that's really the smart strategy. Now, if you're friends with me, I might say, yeah, let's have your brain imaged. But you know, that's why I wrote about that in the epilogue of my book. I wanted to make sure the book was about practical interventions that were successful in the clinical setting that we've shown can change neuroimaging scans. So if you've never are going to get an image done, you can at least see the protocols that we've used that are successful and that are accessible to everyone. They will not break the bank. You know, brain health is very accessible. It's just the small changes that you make and practice consistently over time. And then when you have the cognitive issue, go see your neurologist, reach out to me. I know they don't really do a lot of this in the UK, but if you ever find yourself in the United States, I'm gonna come to LA and I will do a few scans and I'll attach all those things on because I have some. Oh, I'll do an EEG on you for sure. And a little eye therapy.

We can do one side by side and what— yeah. For someone, let's say in good health, let's say even in their sort of 30s, 40s, but noticing that they're not as, you know, quick or fast or, you know, they notice there's some delay. What are some easy to do, if you will, like not too complicated tricks or hacks or strategies that you would say, okay, if you do these 10 things, you're already going to jump up like 40, 50, 60% in cognitive function?

Well, you know, that's an interesting question because a lot of people have issues that are going on in their body that might be contributing to their cognitive function. So, I mean, I have more of my things that I just feel everybody should do to help support their cognitive health. It's, you know, drink half your body weight in ounces of water, right? So you need to be properly hydrated. I think everybody should find a way to either get green juicing into their life or have, you know, 2 to 3 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Really essential. I'm a big proponent of omega-3 fatty acids because they're really important in maintaining That just is an anti-inflammatory. But we talk about this concept of neurogenesis and synaptogenesis. So growing new neurons and/or creating new synaptic connections. And you need those omega-3 fatty acids to help that. So find a way to get omega-3 fatty acids. If you're vegan, you can get the vegan omega-3 fatty acids, or you've got the spirulina and the various algaes that you can use. I think everybody should be really mindful of their sugar consumption. So the American Heart Association literally has guidelines around this. Women should have no more than 25 grams of sugar per day, men 36 grams of sugar per day. I guarantee you when I taught my weight loss groups, most people are taking in about 100 grams. So just track your sugar. Intake for a week and see if you can't bring that down. I think that's really essential. And when talking about the fruits, you've got to give props to the blueberries. So I will tell you the longitudinal studies on blueberries showing that they can reverse cognitive aging. So find a way to get blueberries. Berries are important. So it could be blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, any kind of berries, In my refrigerator, always berries. There's probably never a day—

I have a bowl on my top shelf. I love them. Yeah. The organic ones I think is what, so the pesticides, right? So yeah. Yeah.

You definitely want to get the organic. And to your point with that, you want to have foods that are GMO-free. You want to be very mindful of pesticides. I think that is a big contributing factor to people's gut health and their brain health. So minimize the pesticides, minimize the dyes that you're exposed to, minimize the processed foods. What other things? You know what, exercise is one of the keys to maintaining blood flow throughout the 400, you know, miles of capillaries that are in your brain. So it also helps to, you know, maintain brain volume, helps to balance your mood. So yes, absolutely exercise. And the one thing people don't know about exercise, it helps keep your blood sugar levels balanced. So if you are somebody that is sedentary for 8 hours during the day, they've shown that, you know, that can really cause a dysregulation in blood sugar, tipping the scales towards becoming pre-diabetic or diabetic. But if you move for 10 minutes every hour, so, you know, the Fitbits will have the little guy that's jumping, telling you to get up and move.

Yeah.

I want I want people to know that just getting up for those 10 minutes helps to balance the blood glucose levels in the brain. And it is that effective. So if somebody who's listening is 70 years old, you're 80 years old, you have, you know, older listeners, get up and move each hour. It actually makes a difference. And the resistance training as well. I've just read a recent study where the resistance training helps to reduce the formation of white matter lesions in the brain.

Wow.

So not just your cardiovascular, which I love, and there's tons of research already showing the benefits of aerobic exercise, but make sure if you're 50 and over, so muscle size and strength begins to decrease after your 5th decade of life. And as your mom has just experienced, as people get older, if their leg strength is not strong, right, you, your hip and leg extensors, you're going to have more falls. And as people get older, that's another big risk for brain health is, you know, the increased incidence of falls.

Yeah.

It's amazing.

So, and I think for younger people as well, just to appreciate that, you know, get fit while you're young and it's not so difficult, right? Because especially if you have older people in your life, you see how much more of a challenge it is. And my mother used to go to the gym 5 mornings a week. I actually had a conversation with her yesterday, like, remember before COVID you used to be very bitchy of the gym and having a baseline athleticness, you know, you don't need to be the strongest person or the fastest person, but just having that baseline will set you up for success. If you do have an injury or do have a setback, then you can bounce back so much quicker.

Not only the bounce back, but what I, and I think this is under acknowledged, is the ability to use exercise as a way to keep your insulin levels balanced, right? You're less likely to get insulin resistance and diabetes. That's why people who are super fit, fit athletes who make it a part of their life, even as they get older, they tend not to lose that muscle mass as much. And they have— it's sort of an increased utilization of glucose is the appropriate way to say it. So as I was telling you, the brain is this really glucose glucose-hungry organ. If you are exercising, it is a part of your life. Your muscles are going to be more efficient at utilizing glucose and your brain is. So these things practiced consistently will reap dividends here. I'm speaking to an investment banker, uh, former, my former investment. Yes. In your past life will reap dividends on your brain health as you age. So everything that your mom, has done is really still helping her. And we've got the muscle memory. So if you've gotten out of your sport, you know, get back into it or find new fun ways.

Yeah.

With the older population, it's like, that's why I talk about the paddleboarding or putting somebody in a kayak, or I had some of my football players, dancing is great. They had so many injuries to their back and their joints. They're like, I don't want to work out. So I had them go in the pool. And I said, listen, if you don't want to do laps, get one of those kickboards and just go back and forth and tell me how many laps you've done. So just getting people back into the swing of things is really important.

And then it's uphill because then you feel more confident, you're stronger, and then you can do more and do more fun activities as well. So just getting started, right?

It's just getting started is good. And it's almost like principles. I kind of feel like these are the principles that really help support healthy cognitive function. And then if you're that person who wants to uplevel and take your brain to the next level, then we'll put you in. You can do the neurofeedback, or we can take a look at your brain and really figure out how to tailor a protocol specific for you. That's where the supplements can be tailored. I'm sort of part of that precision medicine Movement, because we've been doing these tailored treatments. So if somebody comes to talk to me and they're like, I talked to somebody yesterday in her forties and she has two kids, a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old. And she's like, my memory is not sharp. And people are saying it's mommy brain, but I feel like it's something more. And you have to go down and look at everything that's going on. For some people, it could just be a hormonal piece. Like, you know, we were talking about earlier, if you're low in estrogen, testosterone, your thyroid is off. You're going to have low energy and a sluggish brain. But if you're dehydrated, it can be the same thing. So a poor memory can be linked to a lot of things. And that's why sometimes you have to take the deeper dive. That's why you have to do a good lab panel to see, you know, what's going on. Or, you know, for some people, excessive anxiety and stress can impact cognitive function. You just, you know, that you can't think clearly. And it's because high cortisol damages the hippocampus and your prefrontal cortex.

So, and getting to grips on that. So Kristen, I have a few questions from my audience. I'd love to ask you, we can do in a quick rapid-fire way. One is about dreams. What would very lucid dreams or talking while asleep tell me about brain health?

So I think lucid dreams are just a great way to get an insight into what's going on in your subconscious mind and can also help you to creatively address issues that you are going through in your current life. So in terms of brain health, I just feel like it's another way to help support your emotional health and wellbeing.

Okay. Very interesting way to put it. Thank you. Yeah. Another question from my audience devices. Are there any specific apps or neurofeedback devices you find particularly useful and how do they work?

Okay, so in terms of neurofeedback, I'm the scientist who likes the precision approach. And if you were working with me, I would do a 19-channel EEG and keep the headset on and do what's called a 19-channel z-score Loretta neurofeedback, which is tailored to the way your brain is wired. So when talking about neurofeedback, I like the precision approach. I don't know what apps are available that I would recommend. I think I would always recommend going in and working with a professional who can do neurofeedback based on the way your brain is wired and/or to target therapies based on your symptom, whether you're struggling with insomnia, anxiety, depression, because there's going to be a different neurofeedback protocol for you. We were talking earlier about the Muse technology for meditation. So I do like Muse as a— I guess you would call that a neurofeedback technology. It helps to teach you where your brainwave levels are at, and then when you go into a meditative state, you will see the changes. But I don't have any app recommendation offhand. I will take a look though. And if I can find one that I think is useful, I will let you know.

Perfect. Thank you. We can add it to the show notes here as well.

Yeah.

Another question from the audience on the top 2 things to do for your brain on top of sleep.

Top 2 things to do for your brain. Number 1, anybody who's over the age of 40 needs to be taking a multivitamin or multi-mineral because your neurotransmitter levels decline with age. So use that as support. And I also like omega-3 fatty acids, 1 to 2 grams. You can do regular, you can do vegan, you can get your omega-3 fatty acids tested as well, which I think is a really smart idea. So you can tailor your strategy and taking supplemental vitamin D, make sure those levels are optimized. So that's number one. And number 2, I'm a big fan of hydration. So I know because I have tracked people's hydration over time in brain-directed weight loss groups. And I would probably say 99% of people do not drink enough clean, fresh water to help remove toxins and to keep the blood cleanse. So hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. It's really important.

Very, very helpful. I have a very interesting last one around headstands. Yes.

To increase blood flow.

Headstands, if blood flow is key for the brain.

You know, I applaud that question. You know, I think headstands are probably better for core strength and balance. Yes. Well, it can help temporarily improve blood flow to the brain. Your brain is already going to tightly regulate that blood flow. So I wouldn't worry about having to do headstands headstands. But one of the things I would love everybody to do is just aerobic exercise. That's the best way to keep blood flowing throughout the brain because it's going to keep the heart strong. When the heart is strong, the blood is flowing.

Excellent. Kristen, what's your vision for optimized brain health and performance, and what do you see as possible in the future?

Well, I have seen extraordinary changes that can be made in the brain. I will share with your audience We studied the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on rehabilitating brain function, and that therapy helps to regrow new blood vessels in the brain, mobilize stem cells, improve immune function. It actually works epigenetically. It can up or downregulate over 8,000 genes. So when I'm looking at the advances that are happening with our technologies and how they're applicable to brain health and the gene therapies and lengthening telomeres, I'm actually really excited about what the future has to hold, especially over the next 10 to 20 years. So get ready, you know, start doing all the things that I recommend in the book, the things that I've seen that have been effective in the clinical setting and get excited about some of these really novel therapies that are also very, very healthy for the brain. Like, hyperbaric oxygen therapy really has no downsides. And to be able to see that we can increase perfusion and grow new blood vessels in the brain, that's extraordinary.

Yeah. And I was in one recently, actually, here as well, and for anti-inflammation, anti-aging, so many benefits as well. And I slept like a baby that night.

Sleep like a baby. It's great for wound healing. You know, we've done pre and post scans of lots of our football players who've done the hyperbaric oxygen therapy. And I've been in it myself. And it's, it's really mind-blowing to see what it can do in terms of supporting brain health. And even, I think it helps to revitalize neuronal functioning, mitochondrial functioning. So, you know, if you've had some kind of injuries and these cells are not functioning at optimal capacity energetically, I feel like it's a way to help jumpstart those cells again. So I'm really very excited to see what the next, you know, few decades has in store for us. And, you know, I plan to be around for another 40 to 50 years. So hopefully I'm at least, if not, I'm a part of that revolution. Yeah. You know, I will say I have centenarians on both sides of the family, just like you, you've got on one side, I know you're close, You said your grandfather is—

Yeah, so '94. My great-grandfather, and this is, you know, born in the 1900s, right? He got to 98, right? So, but I want to get to at least 120. I spoke with Sergey Young, who's planning to live till 200.

Wow. That's setting the bar high.

Yeah. Yeah. So I think it's just picking a big number. Maybe I should say 250 and just set it high.

You know what? Somebody like you who What did we say? You've bungee jumped, skydiving.

Survived.

Yes. And you've survived. Of course you're going to aim high and go for 250.

Maybe we'll change it to 250 now. 120 was a bit boring, right? Yeah, but only if you're there with me, Kristen.

I promise I will be here with you.

I will go bungee jumping at 90. Okay. Oh my God, it's real. Otherwise, what's the point?

It really has to be fun. And we'll wear our helmets, by the way, because if we are bungee tongue thing. We have to be brain healthy.

I'm going to the hyperbaric chamber afterwards.

We will go hyperbaric chamber after.

I love it. What a fun way to end the conversation. I would say, Kristen, it's been such a pleasure. Where can people learn more about what you're up to? Where can they find your book?

Well, thank you. So they can find the book Biohack Your Brain anywhere books are sold on Amazon, on HarperCollins website. They're in bookstores. You can go to my website at willameyer.com, and you can learn more about me and find the books. It's published in multiple languages, so it's accessible.

I've read it, excellent. So for anyone listening, it's definitely worth the time and investment. It will probably change your life. Yeah, it's well written, really great.

Oh, thank you so much, Claudia. Truly, it has been such a pleasure connecting with you and your audience. They asked asked great questions. You've asked some really great questions. We were able to go into some really fun areas and talk about consciousness and the subconscious mind and areas of brain health that not everybody talks about. So thank you for that.

It's been so interesting and I've loved it. And I wonder if you have any parting message or thoughts for my audience.

I just like to remind people, your brain is involved in everything you do, right? It stores your precious memories. It helps us to have wonderful experiences. With our loved ones. So taking care of it as early as possible. I always say it's never too late, right? Doesn't matter how old you are listening to this podcast, even if you're 90, you know, we can take your brain and we can make it better. So if you want to figure out how to do it, I invite you to pick up the book, learn what we've done in the clinic, come visit us in the United States if you want to get your brain scanned.

And thank you so much, Kristen. Such a pleasure. Love these topics. You're such a great storyteller. You're changing the world of neuroscience by—

I hope so. I hope we get more people excited about the brain, excited about how not only extraordinary it is, but its capacity for certain areas can be regenerated and revitalized. And I want people to embrace that. Please do not be afraid of aging. Do not be afraid if you've had a parent or have a parent with a degenerative disease, just be proactive. When you are proactive, you have a lot more of an ability to change your overall sort of long-term brain health than I think you realize. And that, that is really why I wrote the book.

So exciting. You're changing lives. Thank you so much, Kristen. Such a pleasure to have you on today. Thank you.

Hey everyone, it's Claudia here. Before you take off, I hope you enjoyed the episode and learned as much as I did. If so, please hit subscribe so you don't miss out on our next episodes. I would also love to know what you thought, be it your favorite part, quote, or other feedback from the episode. So please leave a written review on Apple Podcasts or on social media. And if you think this episode will help someone in your own life, share it with them. Together we can change our own lives and the lives around us for the better. Until next week. Goodbye.

Farewell.

And choose to live well.